Steve Spurrier apologizes to USC fans

Spurrier: “I wanted to show up and say a few words. I was hoping (the media) could understand that I wasn’t in a very talkative mood. We had a 14-point lead, couldn’t hold it and couldn’t make a first down. I blame myself for a few calls. I was halfway devastated. I wanted to apologize to our fans.

“That wasn’t much fun. That’s not the way you want to go to the press conference, I understand that. The way we’ve lost has added up. You don’t sleep well for two or three nights, then you try to forget about it.”

Patrick: How tough has it been this fall?

Spurrier: “We’ve had some tough losses this year, never quite had this many in one season. We’ve basically had three games where we’ve had (13, 14, 14-point) leads and couldn’t hold it. It’s been difficult. Life’s going to go on. We’ve got to shake it off.”

Patrick: How often have you thought about leaving?

Spurrier: “About the last 5-7 years (laughs). The plan is to be back and whatever we need to do to fix the team, we’ll worry about that after the season.”

Patrick: Preseason predictions what happened?

Spurrier: “They were inaccurate, but it’s okay with us. We think we’re pretty good. You really have to believe you’re good enough to go compete. We’re not a great team, that’s for sure. But we’ve been in the games, just can’t quite win them.

“When I coached at Duke, I used to tell our guys we were just as good as the other team and I believe you have to think you’re as good to go compete.”

Patrick: Who is the best team you’ve played this season?

Spurrier: “It’s hard to say who has been the best. We haven’t played the Mississippis, fortunately, or Alabama. We had a good schedule with seven home games and five road games. We’re just not as good as advertised.”